Gaining and Losing and
by Blackwolfhunting
Summary: When you gain something, you must lose something. This is something that Sasuke will learn when he realizes that he has lost something very important to him. The question is, will he be able to handle the loss, or will it tear apart his new life and happiness. Character Death, so please don't kill me. Not slash! Sad and sorrowful.


Gaining and Losing and…..

He couldn't believe he was talking to her right now, especially since it had been years since he had even had a civilized conversation, especially since he had left her lying on that bench when they were twelve.

That's right, Sasuke Uchiha, last of the Uchiha's was talking with Sakura Haruno, his longtime crush. Though at the moment Sakura wouldn't know this because he had his face straight and without emotions, only nodding his head and adding a single syllable word in there every now and then. Sakura didn't seem to mind as she continued to talk about her last mission and how she had to heal the snobby brat of an important lord because they hadn't listened and climbed the old willow tree anyways.

"Then he has the nerve to ask me to carry him because he says that his leg still hurts when, and I know this for a fact, that it shouldn't hurt because I had numbed it and then wrapped it so it wouldn't hurt in the first place." Sakura ranted as she growled slightly.

Was it wrong for Sasuke to fell slightly turned on at the anger that Sakura was showing over a little kid that most likely didn't know any better. "I can't believe a thirteen year old kid could act so immature!" Okay, so not so little kid, but a kid that wanted to check out her chest.

Sasuke sighed to as he turned towards the girl fully now and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Sakura," Sasuke said as he gained her attention back towards him, "I know your mission was hard, but really, you should've shown him why you're a feared apprentice of the Hokage." Sasuke said as he began to walk towards the Tomato stall, intent on getting the juicy red fruits for his own.

Sakura blinked in surprise before smiling at the Uchiha who still had more surprises up his sleeves, even though the unpredictable title still went to Naruto. Sakura's eyes watered slightly as she remembered the battle between her two teammates, Sasuke and Naruto both almost died during that battle. If Sakura hadn't been there, both would've too if Sakura hadn't been there.

Ever since that battle though, Naruto had been distant from Sasuke, not really wanting anything to do with the Uchiha at the moment. Sakura couldn't really blame him since Naruto had done everything he could to bring the Uchiha home, even if it meant going against the Hokage. Naruto had spent six months in a specialized prison because he had done just that, disobeyed a direct order from Tsunade and gone after Sasuke.

Sasuke was sentenced to two months of community service and no missions above a C-rank for a year. All of the original Rookie Nine complained about the unfairness of the sentencing between the two old teammates, everyone, including Sakura, thinking that Sasuke should've been in that cell instead of Naruto.

It had been a week since Naruto had been released and he only ever went near Sasuke when they had to take a mission that both were needed on, not that many were difficult, it was just Tsunade trying to get the two to work together again. It worked against her since Naruto wouldn't say a word to his old friend during said mission and would disappear as soon as they were done reporting back to Tsunade.

No one believed that Naruto would try and mend those broken bonds that he had held onto for so long. No one believed either boy would even care anymore, especially since Sasuke had pledged his allegiance to Konoha again and had stated strongly that Naruto would no longer have to chase after Sasuke, the blonde would be able to chase after his own dreams now.

Only that was impossible for the blonde as well, the council had forbidden Naruto from achieving anything above Jounin and had taken away any chance of the blonde ever having his own genin squad. It was rumored it was punishment for almost killing the Uchiha and staying alive after the battle.

Sakura growled in anger as she continued to follow Sasuke around the market place, picking up her own items, but still fuming over the fact that her brother like figure was suffering so much for trying to help and protect his home town. Sakura finally sighed though when she felt the onyx eyes staring at her in concern and smiled at him gently. "What were you thinking Sakura?" Sasuke asked stoically as he carried his bag of food and began heading back towards his apartment in the upper levels of the village.

Sakura walked next to him, carrying her own bag in her arms as she looked at the ground. "I was thinking about how unfair the council is towards Naruto." Sakura said as she looked up towards Sasuke, catching the regret and guilt in his eyes before they disappeared.

Sasuke looked ahead as he thought about his old friend, knowing that the blonde was hurt by the way the council was treating, and even most of the villagers as well were treating him like a monster. It didn't help that the Madara imposter was still out there somewhere, gathering more power to try and start his plan again.

Sasuke had remembered his battle with Naruto, knowing that Naruto had gone all out against the raven, using his Sage chakra, Kyuubi chakra, and finally the little chakra that kept him living against Sasuke. It had been an epic battle and Sasuke admitted that he had lost to the blonde and he knew that he would for the rest of his life.

Sasuke had taunted the blonde during their battle, about how he was a loser, how he was weak, how he depended on the bonds to keep him sane. Where Sasuke himself relied on nothing, he was strong, and was the best; he was the one that the village had loved before he had left. Naruto had only glared at him before disappearing in a cloud of smoke and Sasuke had to dodge the Rasengan that was heading straight for his back.

From there Sasuke hadn't bothered trying to talk to the blonde, already knowing that he was leaving himself open for Naruto to attack him. He wasn't about to let that happen again, but in the end he had still lost because he had underestimated the blonde and believed that he was better. His arrogance had let him down and had caused him to lose the battle that would determine his freedom.

Though Sasuke now believed that Naruto had been right, the village was his home, that he should've been protecting it the entire time. Sasuke now believed that it held all that he could have ever wanted.

Friends.

One of the biggest things he had found when he returned out to the open was several of his old friends, or Naruto's welcoming him a bit grudgingly, but accepting him none the less. He didn't care that Naruto had asked them to help Sasuke, to get him use to people again. It also helped that Karin, Suigetsu, and Jugo were also there with him.

Love.

This one he had just found out, Sakura being the main one for his affections. He hadn't done anything yet, hadn't really made a move yet, but he knew that he wanted Sakura and that she still wanted him thanks to the gossip going around town.

Sasuke smiled at that thought, that Sakura still wanted him after everything that he had done to her and Naruto. That she still loved him even after he had tried to kill her, after he tried to kill Kakashi, after he almost succeeded in killing Naruto. He didn't understand why she wanted him, but he was happy that she did.

Now all he had to do was make a move and he knew the perfect one to make right at that moment, even if he was slapped for it later.

He moved and took Sakura's hand in his own, ignoring the startled shiver he felt running through her body.

Sakura stared at Sasuke in disbelief for several moments before looking at their clasped hands and then back at the young Uchiha. Her eyes softened and she gave him a small smiled, squeezing the hand in her own gently before looking back towards the road.

Sasuke smiled at the squeeze and he knew that maybe, just maybe, things would finally go his way.

If only he saw the figure hidden in the shadows, watching their moves with saddened and yet relief filled eyes.

xGainingx

Two weeks had passed since Sasuke had grabbed Sakura's hand, and now they were heading out to go on their third date. Sasuke was intent on making this date the best since it was probably the last since he had a mission the next day.

Sasuke smiled as he thought about the B-rank mission given to him grudgingly because he was absolutely needed for this one, his Sharingan the only thing that would get them the information that they needed at this time. Tsunade had looked ticked off, but she couldn't keep him from this mission because of the importance; gathering information on Madara wanna-be and finding his hideout.

Sasuke smiled as he looked himself over, making sure that his black jacket was straight, and his blue tank top was also without a wrinkle. The jeans he had bought just for such an occasion looked good on him, he kept his ninja shoes on and he still wore black fingerless gloves. His head band was tucked in a pocket along with his wallet, his hair was perfect as usual as it framed his face and stuck up in the back.

Sasuke looked towards the clock and nodded to himself, leaving his apartment and locking the door behind him as he went to pick Sakura up. He smiled as he looked at the bright lights along the streets, decorating it with a warm and festive feel. Booths were beginning to appear as well as the festival of the downfall of the Kyuubi came closer each day. 'I need to get Naruto a present.' Sasuke thought as he realized that the day the Kyuubi was sealed was also the day Naruto was born.

He walked over to the red building that held Sakura and walked up the steps to her door, knocking on it gently and waited for his date to appear. It didn't take too long before the door opened up and Sasuke was left speechless as he stared at the other.

Sakura had her short pink hair tied up in a knot on her head, almost like Anko, a strapless top that went with her black miniskirt perfectly, a black jacket went over her top, and her hands had black fingerless gloves as well, along with her black high heel sandals that Tsunade had given her a while back. Sasuke was sure that she too had her headband tucked away in her jacket pocket, along with her wallet.

"You going to say something or are you just standing there to look cute?" Sakura asked as she raised an eyebrow and Sasuke noticed that she was wearing eye shadow that blended in with her tone skin, but made her eyes pop anyways. The eyeliner helped as well and the lip gloss made her lips shine in the light.

Sasuke swallowed silently and extended an arm to her, allowing her to wrap an arm around his own happily. "You look Beautiful Sakura." Sasuke said softly as he looked forward, already leading them towards the restaurant he had planned on and then the club afterwards for Ninjas who needed a break.

Sakura smiled at him happily before nodding her head. "You look very handsome yourself Sasuke, I'm glad you decided to wear the jacket I got you, it looks great on you." Sasuke smirked down at her as he raised his nose in the air.

"You should already know that I look hot in anything." Sakura giggled at this and nodded her head along with him.

"Oh yes Sasuke, I know, but I thought I needed to raise your ego slightly, not that it would need it since you seem to have problems getting it through a door already." Sakura said with a sweet smile.

Sasuke scowled at this playfully before sulking artfully. "That hurt Sakura; I know I hit my head on the doorways a lot, but you didn't need to point that out." Laughter came from Sakura as she held onto Sasuke tighter, knowing that the other was just playing around.

The rest of the trip was spent quietly in a comfortable silence, each enjoying the warmth coming from the other. They entered the restaurant easily and soon had their meals in front of them, enjoying the food and speaking about old times as they ate.

"And then that time you and Naruto got stuck together! God that was hilarious." Sakura said as she took another bite of her crab, enjoying the taste that melted in her mouth.

Sasuke scowled at the memory, also remembering how the two had accidentally kissed again as they had tried to get separated. "That wasn't all that fun, especially when the Dobe had to go to the bathroom." Sasuke made a face at this as he remembered the horrible experience.

"Yeah well, I didn't exactly like having to go in front of you either Teme." Sasuke and Sakura blinked in surprise as Naruto appeared next to their table, head band around his forehead and a brown traveling cloak covering his body. "Sorry for interrupting, but I need to talk to you guys." Naruto said as his face showed the seriousness of the situation.

Sasuke and Sakura looked at each other and nodded as Sasuke signaled for the bill, Naruto quickly pulling a hood over his face as the waiter came by, hiding who he was.

Once the bill was paid for the three left the building, following Naruto as he led them towards the path that led towards one of the exits of the village. He only stopped when they came to a familiar area and bench, memories, bad memories popping into all of their minds as Naruto stared ahead of him and towards the gate that would soon take him out of the village.

"I really am sorry for interrupting your guy's date, but I needed to tell you that I'm leaving." Naruto said as he turned to look at the couple, moving his cloak so they could see the Anbu outfit that he had been given and a mask attached to his belt. "The council decided to send me out on one of their SS-Ranks missions." Naruto said as he stared at his astonished friends.

Sakura was the first to speak after a long silence, worry clouding her features as she looked at the dulled blue eyes and almost pale as the dead skinned friend. "How can they do that Naruto!? You just got out of that god forsaken cell couple weeks ago! You can't possibly be in good enough condition to be able to handle this mission!" Sakura said as her hands began to glow green and went to Naruto's head, soothing the headache that she knew the other had.

Sasuke watched as his friend leaned into the hand, sighing in relief as his pain slowly began to disappear. The Uchiha wasn't quite sure what to make of what was happening since he had thought Naruto wouldn't be allowed above higher than a Jounin when he got out. Apparently he was wrong. "Dobe, what's going on?"

Naruto turned and looked at his friend with dead eyes before turning to look back at the lit up village, a small and hollow smile lighting his face slightly. "Nothing Teme, but apparently this is a very important mission and they want me to handle it, especially since I'm the only one who can't catch ill and can heal at an insane rate." Naruto said as he wrapped his arms around himself in a hug that neither of his friends could see. "Sakura, they've been sending me on missions since I got out, I never got a checkup and I never got time to recoup. I was instantly sent out on missions."

Sakura gasped in horror as she walked to stand in front of him, hands landing on his checks and using her chakra to begin to heal what damage was still left from the prison. She could tell that he was dehydrated and malnourished, but she couldn't believe the extent of it. "Sasuke, go and get me a bottle of water." Sakura ordered and Sasuke was gone before Naruto could stop him.

"Naruto, eat these please, I know they're not good substitutes for food, but I know they'll help a little." Sakura said as she handed the blonde some soldier pills, always carrying them on her in case of an emergency.

Naruto smiled at his friend kindly as he ate the pills before grabbing the water bottle before it could hit him in the face. "Thanks, I haven't had time to eat; they've been running me into the ground." Naruto said as he opened the bottle and began to chug it.

Sakura looked at her friend sadly as she laid a hand against his cheek once he finished the bottle. "Naruto, you should've said something, me and Sasuke could help you." Sakura said as she looked at her blonde friend.

Naruto shook his head gently as he smiled at her. "I wish I could Sakura, but I just can't rely on you guys right now. The council would tear you guys apart." Naruto said as he turned to leave.

"Dobe, wasn't it you who told me to trust your friends to make things better?" Naruto stopped in his steps as Sasuke finally spoke to him, the same stoic attitude and arrogance lacing his tone as he spoke to the blonde.

Naruto looked over his shoulders at the raven, his hand reaching down and unhooking the kitsune mask from his belt. "I'm glad you remember something from our battle Sasuke, but those words are for the people who have a future." Naruto said as he turned to face them fully, placing the mask on and hiding his beautiful sapphire eyes behind the grinning fox mask. "I don't have a future anymore."

Before Sasuke or Sakura could move, Naruto disappeared from their sights and left them standing there in stunned silence.

xLosingx

A week had passed, a single week where Sasuke and Sakura were left worrying about a certain blonde friend. Neither liking the feeling that they got each and every day as they waited for his return. Especially when they found out what exactly the mission was.

They had gone straight to Tsunade as soon as they realized that Naruto was no longer in the village, already knowing he had gone off to complete this exceedingly dangerous mission. They knew that if anyone knew what this mission was and why Naruto had been sent on it, it would be the Hokage, Tsunade Senju.

They had found Tsunade sitting at her desk, a bottle of Sake in one hand and the other holding onto a very familiar necklace. Sasuke had stared at it in surprise and then anger as he realized why the Dobe had come and found them before he had left.

It was a goodbye.

Sakura had soon dived into questioning her teacher and when she finally got a response and the answer that she wanted, neither of the Jounin were happy with the news.

_"Naruto was assigned to find the man that started the Fourth Great Ninja War and destroy him. The council decided to put the damned demon to good use and destroy the one that could destroy him." _

Sasuke had never seen Tsunade cry like she had been that night and he didn't exactly like it, he actually hated it and he hated the damned council for doing this to his best friend. All the Uchiha could do now was wait and hope that Naruto would return, especially since he would now be unable to meet up with the blonde, his own mission to look for Madera wannabe having been terminated by the Council as soon as Naruto had left. He knew the reason and he was unhappy with it.

Sakura was almost inconsolable and depressed for several days before Ino was able to knock her out of it, saying that the blonde was the impossible unpredictable knucklehead ninja of the Leaf and that he could do anything. Sakura had simply smiled at the blonde girl and nodded her head, returning to a somewhat normal attitude, but still slightly depressed at the thought that her friend was in danger.

Sasuke sighed as he looked at his table, staring at the small gift he had gotten Naruto for his birthday, which was tomorrow and yet Sasuke was unsure if the Dobe would be home for it. The raven stared at the box with stony eyes before he opened the box to reveal what he had gotten his friend.

Though it was a simple enough thing to do for anyone, Sasuke knew this would mean a lot for when Naruto returned. It was a piece of paper, stating that Naruto was now Sasuke's official adopted brother, protected by the Uchiha himself and his clan laws. Within the piece of paper laid a pendent that held the Uchiha crest in the middle, surrounded by blue and white beads as decoration.

Sasuke hoped with all of his heart that Naruto would accept that Sasuke had adopted him into his family and that the blonde would forgive him for what he had done to him. He hoped with all he was worth that Naruto would accept, that Naruto would return, that Naruto was alive. Sasuke sighed as he closed the lid to the box and grabbed a newspaper, wrapping the box with the paper, smiling as he knew that Naruto would complain about the wrapping.

Once the box was wrapped, Sasuke decided to go for a walk; only he never even got to leave his apartment as someone decided they needed to knock on his forehead as he opened the door wide open.

Sasuke looked down and stared at Sakura with a scowl, rubbing his forehead as he looked at his girlfriend. "Geez Sakura, I know you're always excited to see me, but you don't have to knock on my door that hard." Sasuke grunted out as he looked at his girlfriend, only for his eyes to widen in shock.

Sakura was bent over, her face red and her breathing heavy, her hair was in disarray and sweat covered her face as tears fell down her cheeks. "Sakura, what's wrong?" Sasuke asked as he opened her arms and allowed her to bawl in his chest for precious few seconds.

Once she had enough control over her emotions Sakura was able to look up in the onyx eyes she had fallen in love with as a child, Sasuke already knew something was terribly wrong since his gut was twisting and turning and Sakura looked like someone had just died.

Sasuke's eyes widened as a thought came to him as he hoped that he was horribly wrong and terribly overreacting.

He was proven right though when Sakura said the few words that he dreaded. "Naruto, he came back Sasuke, he's not doing good! Sasuke, Naruto released the Kyuubi!" Sasuke couldn't believe the words he heard and he didn't want to really want to.

Sasuke could only move after several seconds later was he able to do or say anything. "Let's go, our teammate, our friend…my brother needs us." Sasuke said as he moved back into his kitchen and picked up the wrapped box and walked out of his apartment with Sakura right behind him.

To say that they got to the hospital in record timing would be an understatement, both quickly moving towards the room they were directed to, only to find Tsunade leaning against the wall opposite the door, tears running down her face as she yelled and screamed, Shizune unable to placate the Hokage.

Sasuke knew it was bad, but he didn't know how badly until he saw the Hokage, Tsunade, acting the way she was. Sasuke quickly nudged Sakura towards her Sensei as he entered the room, only to stop just inside the door as he looked at all the machines hooked up to Naruto, all the IV's, the tubing and the oxygen mask. Sasuke just couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Sasuke held back the tears as he walked towards the blonde, noticing how the other was staring up at the ceiling with dead eyes and his chest barely moving. The heart monitor nearby told a story of a dying man. Sasuke looked at the blonde and reached down holding the others hand and placing the wrapped box on the bed. "Hey Dobe." Sasuke was able to choke out, his voice hoarse as he fought back tears.

Sasuke could only hold the others hand as he tried to fight the tears, tried to make this reality go away, tried to keep his friend alive by willing it. "Teme." Sasuke blinked as he looked at the face that was smiling at him slightly, the tubing that stuck up his nose giving him the oxygen that he needed at the moment. "If you're going to cry then cry, s'not good to hold it in." Naruto whispered tiredly as he watched his friend.

Sasuke gulped, but he allowed the tears to run down his face as he looked at the smooth cheeks of his friend, the legendary whisker marks no longer scaring his face. "Why?" Sasuke said hoarsely as he glared at his friend, tears still falling down his face. "Why did you do it Naruto!? Why did you release the Kyuubi!? You knew you were going to die as soon as you did! So why damn it! Why?" Sasuke yelled at the other as he stood up suddenly from his seat, unaware that he had sat in the first place.

Naruto smiled at the raven weakly as he motioned towards the window where Sasuke saw a crimson colored fox with crimson eyes staring at him with saddened eyes of its own. Sasuke couldn't believe what he was seeing though as nine tails swayed behind the fox gently. "Kyuubi." Sasuke whispered as he turned to Naruto, whose eyes were closed and a small smile on his face.

"He released me because Tobi was about to kill him." Sasuke's head snapped up towards the rough voice of the fox, unsure of what to say. "Tobi was too strong, Naruto was too weak after imprisonment and then from being run down from mission after mission for two weeks straight." Sasuke listened to the fox in disbelief and then turned to Naruto. "He couldn't ask for help because he knew that was what the council wanted, him dead, and with him dead, I would be dead."

Sasuke stared at his friend before a small smile lit his face and he began to laugh hysterically as he fell back into his seat, a hand covering his eyes as he realized what had happened. "They never expected him to release you though! They thought he would take you to his grave!" Sasuke stated hysterically as he opened his eyes in time to see the Kyuubi jump up onto Naruto's bed and lay next to the blonde.

"That's right; this is Naruto's way of getting back at the old farts that have refused to allow him to be happy." Kyuubi said as he laid his head on Naruto's chest gently, his tails covering Naruto for extra warmth.

Sasuke chuckled as his hysteria ran out and he looked at the scene, his gaze softening as he realized what this meant. "His chakra system is screwed over twice to Tuesday, isn't it? There's no healing him this time, even for you." Sasuke said as he watches the fox nod. "Is he still awake?"

He was answered as a whisper filled the room. "Teme." Sasuke smiled as he grabbed the box that was precariously tipping on the side of the bed.

"I have a present for you Dobe." Sasuke said as he held it in sight for Naruto. Naruto pried his eyes open and looked at the box in surprise and something that told Sasuke that he wasn't expecting it. "It's your birthday tomorrow. I thought you'd like something." Sasuke explained as he held it out to the blonde.

Naruto smiled softly before he shook his head slightly. "Can't move my arms." Naruto whispered as he stared at his friend sadly. "I can't feel a whole lot anymore."

Sasuke gulped and nodded his head as he tore the newspaper off of the box and opened it, pulling out the sheet of paper first. "I went through hell to get this Dobe, the council was being a pain about it, but they couldn't stop me from getting it, especially after that old hag signed it for me." Sasuke said with a smirk as he allowed Kyuubi to see the paper, the fox looking at him in curiosity.

Kyuubi stared at the sheet of paper in surprise, understanding entering his eyes as he looked at Sasuke. The crimson eyes stared at the Uchiha with such intensity that Sasuke was sweating slightly. "This better not be a joke Uchiha, he won't survive anything more if it is a joke."

Sasuke shook his head as he turned and looked at Naruto with a smile, especially now that tired curiosity lit the eyes. "This isn't a joke; I got this because I felt that he deserved a real family, even if it was only one brother." Sasuke said, Naruto's eyes narrowing at this in confusion. Sasuke smirked and held the piece of paper up towards Naruto, already knowing that Naruto wouldn't be able to read it properly at this time, but thought Naruto would like to see it anyways.

"This piece of paper, Dobe, is proof that I have officially adopted you into my family. You are now officially my brother, no matter what people say. So what's it feel like to know that you are now Naruto Uzumaki Uchiha?" Sasuke asked as he took out the pendent from the box and carefully clipped it around Naruto's neck and laid it on his chest.

Naruto looked up at Sasuke with wide eyes, unsure of what to say towards the Uchiha as tears filled his eyes and fell down his cheeks. Sasuke smiled down gently at the other and wiped the tears as best he could, but had to stop as Naruto continued to cry. "Don't cry kit, this is a good thing. You should be happy." Kyuubi said as he licked Naruto's face.

Naruto shook his head as he looked at Sasuke with pure happiness and thankfulness. "I'm happy." Naruto whispered as he looked back towards Kyuubi. "I'm happy Kurama, I have a family." Sasuke smiled sadly as he took hold of Naruto's useless hand.

"I'm just sorry it took me so long to give you this Naruto…I should've been there for you, like you were for me." Sasuke said as he bowed his head. "I should've given you a family when I could."

Naruto watched with tear filled eyes as Sasuke sulked over his passed actions before squeezing the hand in his gently with his last ounce of energy, and once the Uchiha looked up at him, Naruto gave him his brightest smile that he had. "You did." Naruto whispered as his eyes began to dull. "Kakashi, Sakura, Tsunade-baa-chan, Iruka, Pervy Sage, Shizune-nee-san, Yamato, and everyone else, you gave me a family." Naruto whispered as his eyes began to close, tears falling out, but it was slowing as the other began to leave. "I couldn't ask for a better birthday." Naruto whispered before his eyes closed finally and the heart monitor flat lined.

Sasuke stared at his brother in horror as he realized that he had been privy to the blonde's last words. Sasuke swallowed as more tears fell down his face again, reaching a hand towards Naruto face and feeling the smooth cheeks where scars should've been.

The Kyuubi was lying right next to the still warm body, his tails still covering Naruto as he closed his eyes and allowed his sorrow to fill him. He was just happy that he had ripped Tobi's head off when he was released. He still couldn't believe that Naruto had released him though, it was unimaginable.

Neither noticed as Tsunade came running in, screaming at Naruto to not leave, or Sakura who had grabbed Sasuke's hands from Naruto and had forced the Uchiha's head into the crook of her neck, holding him there as he continued to cry.

Tsunade tried and tried to bring Naruto back, but soon, as the clock hit twelve ten at night, they had to acknowledge that Naruto was gone. Sasuke was still in shock though, not truly accepting that Naruto was gone, Sakura held onto him as she looked at the body of her blonde friend, tears running down her face.

Tsunade had been sedated by Shizune, the elder woman unable to handle the loss of the blonde. Shizune stood next to the bed she had laid her sensei in and stared at the blonde, who was still covered by a nine tailed demon lord. None of them really wanted to believe that Naruto was gone, but they all knew that he was, so with sadness and sorrow, Shizune picked up Naruto's medical file at the door and walked back into the room, signing off the time of death at 12:10 am on October 10th.

No one left the room that night, none of them truly wanting to leave Naruto alone as his body cooled and his skin paled and his lips turned blue. None of them left the room, all praying and praying that Naruto would be a much happier place.

So when morning came, Ino found all five of them still there, all crying, Tsunade had woken up after being sedated and now sat on the bed and holding Naruto to her chest as she cried in grief.

The Rookie Nine all filed in soon, along with their sensei's, Iruka running in and crying out in disbelief as he saw Naruto's pale and unmoving body held in Tsunade's grip. Gai caught Iruka as he about fell forward, he was crying so hard.

The funeral was planned and all of Naruto's friends, his family, were gathered in Field seven, the training field that Team 7 had used since they were Genin. Tsunade presided over the funeral and said several words, having to stop as she choked up and cried instead, leaving everyone else to pray for the blonde instead.

Once the funeral was over and Naruto's name was etched on the KIA stone, everyone left. Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi were the only ones left as Tsunade was dragged off to gulp down as much sake as Shizune would let her get away with.

"I can't believe he's actually gone." Sakura said as she held onto Sasuke with all of her might, Sasuke's own arms wrapped around her and holding her to his body. "I can't believe it."

Sasuke sighed as he kissed the top of her head and looked back at the grave stone with sorrow. "I know Sakura, but we can't hold onto him forever." Sasuke said as he held her close to him. "We'll need to let him go."

"Letting go is always the hardest part, but causes such a sweet and yet bitter end." Sasuke blinked as he looked at his old sensei, wondering where that had come from. "My sensei told me when my own teammates died and I have always believed it because it's true." Kakashi said as he looked at his students. "Letting a loved one go always hurts, it's the hardest thing to do, but once you do it causes such relief, knowing that they are happy somewhere else." With that Kakashi disappeared in a poof of smoke leaving his students behind.

Both of them stood there for a long time, looking at the tombstone that marked the place that Naruto was, both knowing that he was most likely happy where he was. Sasuke snorted as he imagined the Dobe eating all he could in Ramen. Sakura looked up at him in surprise and curiosity. "I just thought about all the ramen the Dobe could eat."

Sakura smiled at him gently and nodded her head in agreement. "He's actually going to get fat now." She said and giggled at her own thought. "He can train to his heart's content and he'll be able to meet his parents finally." Sakura said as she stared at the tombstone.

Sasuke nodded his head in agreement and kissed her head again as he looked at the marker one last time. "Good bye my brother." Sasuke said as he looked down at Sakura. "It's time we get going Sakura, the rain is going to make us sick." Sakura nodded her head as she took Sasuke's hand in her own and allowed him to lead her away. Neither looked back and so both missed the image of their blonde friend sitting on the headstone, smiling softly at them as he looked down at his own marker.

"They made a really good one for you." Naruto looked up and smiled at the Kyuubi as he stood up from his marker and stood next to the fox, his body covered by the brown cloak he had worn on his last mission and headband wrapped around his forehead.

"I know, who would've thought though that I would be an Uchiha." Naruto said to the fox as he laid a hand on the other's head and patted his gently.

Kyuubi nodded his head as he read the writing on the headstone out loud.

_Naruto Uzumaki Uchiha_

_A good friend_

_A great Brother_

_Beloved and Will be missed_

_We hope our Number One Most Unpredictable Knuckleheaded Ninja_

_Will forever rest in peace_

_October 10__th__, 1994- October 10__th__, 2011_

xSoMuchMorex

Sasuke smiled as he held onto Sakura's hand, watching as their twelve year old son walked in front of him and his mother. The boy had turned out beautifully when he was born, dark raven hair that turned to be just like Sasuke, but his skin and facial features all came from his mother. Though the boy had gained unusually bright sapphire eyes, though they did not know from where since no one in their families had eyes like his. The boy wore a simple blue tank top with a black vest, white shorts, blue ninja shoes and the Konoha Headband wrapped around his head, sitting proudly on his forehead.

Sasuke was so immensely proud of his son, becoming a genin without a problem and at the top of his class. This was expected since he had two of the brightest parents in the village, not to mention his father was the Hokage.

That's right, Sasuke had become Hokage five years after his best friend and brother died, living on with his legacy and living his dream. Sasuke was now the most powerful in the village, wearing a dark blue coat with white flames at the bottom and Rokudaime stitched into the back in white.

Sasuke was incredibly happy though, no matter how stressful his life got, especially when Sakura had gotten pregnant again with their second child, a girl this time with pink hair and onyx eyes. She was only three months old, but both parents knew that she would grow up to be strong and smart.

Sakura herself had grown to be even more gorgeous, her pink hair was grown out to her middle back, her bangs cut to frame her face beautifully. She wore a red wrapped kimono that stopped middle thigh, black kunoichi shorts going down to her knees and ninja sandals that went up to mid-calf. She now wore her forehead protector around her neck as it had become a hassle for her to tie it around her forehead because she was constantly moving it and tugging on it.

Both parents were happy with their lives, but they could still feel that hole in their hearts where a certain blonde had once been, especially when he was alive. Though both had moved on, neither could really get over the death of the blonde, knowing that they would continue to visit the grave of their friend until the day they died. They had even asked in their wills to be buried next to Naruto when they died, so Team 7 could forever be together.

Speaking of visiting graves, that was what the Uchiha family was doing that day, on a unusually warm October day they now stood in front of the grave of their best friend and brother. "Hey Naruto, we came to see you, especially since it's been a while." Sakura started as she stepped forward and bent down so the baby in her arms could see the grave. "This is Hikari, our new little baby girl, she looks almost exactly like me, except she has Sasuke's eyes."

Sasuke smiled as Sakura continued to talk to their old friend as if he was truly there with them. "Ru got high scores on the genin exams! He was the top of his class, just like his daddy." Sakura continued on and Sasuke could only nod in his pride.

Ru watched this with confusion, wondering why his parents continued visiting this old grave. He didn't exactly understand why they would come here, he knew that the person here was important, but he didn't understand why. He could only sigh as he watched his parents talked to the headstone, wondering if one day he'd understand.

"So you guys came again." Ru jumped in surprise as a figure appeared from the tree line, nine tails waving as the fox walked towards them. "I knew you would, after all, he did die today."

Ru gulped at the sight of the massive fox that was way bigger than him, not to mention that the crimson eyes that looked at him with intensity that he didn't understand. "Kyuubi, it's been a while since we last saw you. I believe it was when we introduced Ru, am I right?" Sasuke said as he wrapped an arm around Sakura as she stood back up and both adults smiled at the giant fox.

Kyuubi nodded his head as he walked towards the couple, captivating Ru as the creature walked gracefully. "That's right, and I only show myself to you now so I can see the new little one." Kyuubi said as he began to sniff the little baby in Sakura's arms.

Sakura smiled as she shifted the blanket enough to show Hikari sleeping peacefully in her arms, chubby little cheeks flushed with youth. "This is our little Hikari; she's a light that I thought I would never see." Sakura said as she cuddled her daughter.

Kyuubi's eyes softened at this as he nodded at that. "I am happy for you and I ask that you allow me to gift her as I did your son." Kyuubi said and waited for an answer as he watched the little baby.

Sasuke and Sakura smiled as they both nodded, Sakura holding the child out towards Kyuubi, who touched the child on the head and allowed his chakra to wrap around her gently before seeping into her little body. "She will now heal like he once did, as your son now does." Kyuubi said as he looked up at them. "That is my gift and I wish you luck and happy long lives."

Sasuke nodded his head as Sakura rewrapped her daughter in her pink blanket. "Thank you Kyuubi, we thank you for everything." Sasuke bowed slightly before turning back to the grave. "We thank you too Dobe, for if it wasn't for you we would still be at war." Sasuke bowed towards the headstone before wrapping his arms back around Sakura and walking away without looking back.

Ru stood there stunned as he looked at the fox that stood in front of, unsure of what to do exactly. So it was understandable that he was scared shitless when the fox turned towards him and walked to stand in front of the scared little genin. Ru wasn't sure what he was expecting, but he sure was surprised when the fox sniffed him and then licked his cheek gently.

"You were the one I gave great power to." Kyuubi said as he looked Ru in the eyes steadily, knowing the boy was scared of what he might do, but he wanted to say this while Sasuke was out of hearing. "You are the one that is named after my old prison."

Ru blinked in surprise at this and his eyes narrowed in confusion at what the fox said. "After your prison, but I thought I was named after Dad's old friend." Ru said as he looked towards the headstone before returning to the fox.

Kyuubi chuckled softly as he nodded his head. "You are named after his old friend, but his old friend use to hold me inside of him, a seal that held me within him and kept me from causing chaos. He was strong, powerful, kind and compassionate. He was a man worth believing in." Kyuubi said as he stood up and walked around the boy.

Ru watched the fox warily as his mind processed the information given to him and began to think. 'A person that held such a being inside of them…I remember dad talking to me about them, he explained about Uncle Bee being such a person…what where they called again?' Ru thought as he kept his eyes on the still circling fox.

"Can you tell me what a container is called, what your namesake was called when he held me within his own body, sacrificing himself to keep this village safe?" Kyuubi questioned as he watched the gears turn in the boy's head.

Ru's eyes widened as he realized what the name was when a human was sacrificed. "Jinchuuriki. They're called a Jinchuuriki, a human sacrifice." Ru said as the fox stopped right in front of him and nodded his head.

"That's right, he protected this village with his life and in return the village hated him." The fox snarled out as his chakra began to swirl around, Ru only revealing in the feel of the warm chakra washing over him. "They treated him like he was the demon that destroyed their village, when in truth he was the cage holding me away." Kyuubi snarled and closed his eyes as his chakra receded in back. "He was the hero who gave everything to stop the Fourth War your kind started."

Ru nodded his head slowly, taking the information in and intent on researching this person when he had the chance. "What did you mean you gave me great power?" Ru asked as he remembered what Kyuubi said earlier.

Kyuubi grinned as he looked at the other boy and sat back down. "I gave you more than healing chakra, I gave you power, power to duplicate what he could do, the chakra that he possessed when he died." Kyuubi said as he waved a tail in front of the boy and an image appeared in the boy's mind. A ball of swirling chakra, it looked like a hurricane was happening on the inside of it. "I gave you the knowledge that he had when he was alive, this is his legacy. It is why you have his eyes too." Kyuubi said the last bit in a whisper. "With his knowledge, abilities, and chakra, you have gained a physical feature from him, just happened to be his eyes."

Ru gulped as he realized he had indeed gained a great gift from the fox, but he wasn't sure if he wanted this. "Why me though?"

Kyuubi looked at him as if he was stupid. "Why you? You ask such a simple question with such a simple answer." Kyuubi said as he stood back up and began walking away after he looked at the headstone one last time. "It's simple, it's because you're his nephew, your father's son." With that the fox turned to look at Ru one last time.

"Will you be able to live up to a great hero's legend, will you be able to carry Naruto Uzumaki's will and live a life full of love and adventure? Will you live up to your namesake's expectations?" With that the Kyuubi disappeared in a swirl of red chakra, leaving a stunned Ru behind.

It was several moments of staring at the tree line before Ru smirked and looked at the Headstone with a new light. "Don't you worry, I'll live up to everything you left behind, or my name is Naruto Uzumaki Uchiha!" Ru yelled as he gave the headstone thumbs up and a wide smile, sapphire eyes sparkling with life.

So when Ru turned around, his eyes widened as he warm weight landed on his shoulder and someone whispered in his ear. "I believe in you." Ru whipped around to see who was behind him, only to see no one there. All there was, was a breeze carrying a leaves and a laugh.

Ru smiled as he turned back around, running to catch up with his family and intent on practicing that move he had seen in his mind.

He never saw the figure of a blonde haired ninja wrapped in a brown cloak and a headband on his forehead. "I believe in you Naruto Uzumaki Uchiha, the boy that will carry on my legacy." And with that, the blonde haired ninja disappeared, his sapphire eyes shining in the sun as he was finally able to move on, knowing that the Will of Fire would continue on.

_ The hope of seeing someone in death is what gives us the hope to live the life we have…_

xIBelieveInYoux

A.N. Hope you all liked this one shot because this took forever to write, but it was something that wouldn't leave me alone. An idea that had been bugging me forever. It started out as thinking what would happen if Sasuke came back and got everything he ever wanted. Friends, family, love, and a life of his own to live.

Now what if there was a cost for this life. That cost being the loss of his best friend, the other male that had been chasing him home for years. The cost for his happiness would be Naruto, as sad as that was to write, I'm incredibly happy with it anyways.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it and please review. Review and I'll give you a cookie.


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